West Ham are lining up a bid for Shakhtar Donetsk attacking midfielder Georgiy Sudakov, according to reports.

Writing on his Patreon, The Sun journalist Alan Nixon claims that the Hammers have contacted intermediaries to register their interest in signing the Ukrainian international.

Sudakov has attracted the attention of other Premier League teams in the past – most notably Manchester City and Arsenal.

However, it appears that Graham Potter’s side are the club most likely to make a formal offer at the moment, with Nixon reporting that they are prepared to pay around £30m for the 22-year-old.

Sudakov’s asking price is considerably higher

Speaking about the midfielder’s valuation at the start of last year, Shakhtar’s sporting director Darijo Srna said he could cost in excess of £50m:

“Shakhtar’s president (Sergei Palkin) wants to get big money for Sudakov. If he wanted to get €40m to €45m, he would have already given him to Napoli.”

“But Sudakov is a unique footballer. He does a crazy amount of work and has a head on his shoulders. There are not many such players in Europe. Sudakov will leave for a very large sum. I’m sure it’s more than €60m (£52m).”

West Ham have looked at other attacking midfielders

Sudakov is by no means the only target under consideration. There is thought to be interest in Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey and Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott.

However, with the latter, the Irons have also faced issues with the player’s price tag. The Reds are reportedly demanding £40m with a buyback clause, or £50m without one.

It is not surprising, then, that other avenues are being explored, although it remains to be seen if their enquiries for Sudakov develop into something more concrete.

In other news, West Ham are reportedly “set to make an approach” for a £35m rated goalkeeper